Sebastian Thrun keynote speaker

Sebastian Thrun is a visionary artificial intelligence pioneer whose work has reshaped industries from autonomous vehicles to online education. As a former Vice President and Fellow at Google, he co-founded Google X and led the development of the self-driving car initiative that became Waymo, a project born from the DARPA Grand Challenges. His earlier achievements, including the revealing successes of Stanley and Junior, have cemented his status as a trailblazer in robotics and probabilistic AI systems.

Today, Thrun leads multiple groundbreaking ventures. He is the Chair and Co-Founder of Udacity, the global education platform restructuring how millions learn tech skills through online nanodegrees. He also directs innovations at Kitty Hawk, pioneering air-based personal transport. At Stanford, he continues as an Adjunct Professor, spearheading research in AI-driven solutions—from healthcare and home automation to predictive technologies for everyday life.

In 2024–2025, Thrun launched Hooglee, an AI-powered video creation and social networking platform backed by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and long-time collaborator. Hooglee aims to revolutionize content creation with generative tools combined with ethical features like watermarking and AI detection. This collaboration highlights the trust and shared vision between two of Silicon Valley’s leading minds.

Thrun is not only defined by his technical accomplishments but also by his commitment to societal impact. His work emphasizes responsible AI—championing innovation without overregulation and promoting AI as a force for job creation and positive change.